Will the real EMT's please Stand

[ERDoc]

Yes, ALS care means advanced, but if we are waiting and a patient is crunking, if the EMT (me or whoever it is) knows what we are doing, should we just let the patient circle the drain and hope the mutual aid ALS rig gets there in time.

If your pt is crunking, I doubt they need a medic. A good DJ with probably be enough.

Scara, you can use shit as long as you do not refer to feces. You can say, "That was a pretty shitty thing to do," but not, "There is a huge pile of s*** over there." See, damn FCC does it every time.

[Scaramedic]

Scara, you can use shit as long as you do not refer to feces. You can say, "That was a pretty shitty thing to do," but not, "There is a huge pile of s*** over there." See, damn FCC does it every time.

You know the sad part Doc is how much money they spent to decide that. Think of all the meetings, memos, studies, and paperwork discussing the proper us of the word shit. Taxpayer's money spent on shit. Well I guess that's nothing new.

[AnthonyM83]

Actually, for accuracy's sake, MFRs are at the bottom of the totem pole.

I've yet to meet one of those...I don't think it's a very popular cert around here... And even when medically, we're not at the very bottom, our company makes us be. . . because we also want people's business.

[Dustdevil]

I've yet to meet one of those...I don't think it's a very popular cert around here... And even when medically, we're not at the very bottom, our company makes us be. . . because we also want people's business.

Yeah, you have to be really out in the backwoods of a limited number of states to see any kind of CFR, EFRs, ECAs, or other certified First Responders running around in numbers. And it's extremely rare that you would see them on an ambulance.

Of course, if any actual Canadian MFRs have somehow made their way down to the U.S., I certainly wouldn't put them lower on the ladder than a U.S. EMT.

[triemal04]

Is it just me or does anyone else find that the more someone feels that they have to list out all their certifications and qualifications in their signature or under their avatar, the easier it is to not take them seriously?

Or does anyone else find it funny how disaster boy tends to latch onto whatever shiney new organization he's found like a lamprey? Until the newness wears off of course.

Pathetic.

[ccmedoc]

Is it just me or does anyone else find that the more someone feels that they have to list out all their certifications and qualifications in their signature or under their avatar, the easier it is to not take them seriously?

Yeah , Kinda depends on the qualifications..I don't see a lot of those letters as "qualifications"..busy work, maybe..

But, it often doesn't matter what I think..

[JPINFV]

Is it just me or does anyone else find that the more someone feels that they have to list out all their certifications and qualifications in their signature or under their avatar, the easier it is to not take them seriously?

It depends on the qualification. Something along the lines of EMS cert level and academic degrees (AS, BS, MS, PhD, DO, MD, RRT, etc) is one thing. I think that this is especially true for the people on this site who aren't advanced providers (e.g. paramedics, physician, respiratory therapist), but I'll admit that I'm a bit biased in terms of this.

When people get to posting things like ACLS, BCLS, PALS (so called merit badge courses) it's something completely different. A certain well known osteopath has actually written an article on this a number of years ago with a Blazing Saddles reference.

[Dustdevil]

I agree that it's a little silly to put a laundry list of pointless titles next to your name, even if you have really earned them. But hey, if you have indeed earned them, at least it's honest, even if silly. What is dishonest is to list "firefighter" and "Mass Casualty EMT" and "Tactical Special Forces Disaster Specialist" under your OCCUPATION, when those are nothing more than hobbies.

[EMS49393]

I love education. If there is a class, and I'm off work, and I can afford to take it, I'm on it. I get a thrill from learning new things, new ideas, new techniques, etc. I refer to these little classes as "fluff" classes. They're great to take, great to have, but in the grand scheme of my particular job, they're utterly worthless.

When I was hired at my current job, they asked me for five things...

National Registry Paramedic Card

State Paramedic Card

CPR

ACLS

A valid drivers license

They could give a crap less about any other class or card I carried. I have a file folder full of neato little cards worth less than the ink used to print them. Currently, I possess 11 different fluff cards. Perhaps if my boss knew I had all of these cards, I might get a 3.1% raise instead of a 3% raise this year.

To the man that signs my paycheck every two weeks, I'm a paramedic and nothing more. Heck, most of the time I'm just a babysitter.

However my hobbies do include suctioning the filling out of twinkies, standing around while the fireboys do all the heavy lifting, and pencil sketching street signs. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to modify my occupation to include all my hobbies and certifications... :roll: